What was the War of 1812

The war of 1812 was an indication of the resentment among the Americans against the policy of Britain after the end of American Revolution. The exact reason for the war is said to be the sanctions imposed on America by Britain against it having any kind of trade with France. Britain and France were not in good terms at this point in time and each one of them tried to cut down the trade relationships of the other with United States of America. It was the initiative of James Maddison in the year 1812 that triggered off the attack against Britain. The war lasted for a period of three years before both the countries decided to end it in 1815 with the Treaty of Ghent.

Though the Americans had an upper hand in the beginning of the war, the defeat of Napoleon’s forces in the year 1814 worsened the scenario in the United States of America. The British forces overpowered the Americans and set out to completely destroy Washington DC. The battle of Bladensburg was a major setback to the American troops when the integrity of their Nation was hurt with the capture of Washington DC. The war that proceeded in the sea was between warships and privateers who handled the merchant ships. Many areas were captured by forces on both sides, but all of them were restored as per the Treaty of Ghent.

The war is said to have proceeded in three theaters namely, Atlantic theatre; Great lakes and western territories and Southern theatre. The inexperience of American troops and the lack of training of the troops were clearly evident in the war. It is to be noted that at this point in time when the war broke out, both the countries were engaged in settling other disputes of theirs and this can be said to be the reason for the war to have proceeded for such a long period of time.

The American troops did not have the expertise or the strength as that of the armies of Britain. The military personnel were not well trained. The poor pay and fewer facilities that were provided to the soldiers were the main reasons as to why the strength of the armed forces was less. Towards the end of the war, there was blockade of American ports. The situation became so bad that the American ships were not able to get out of the port, thereby, hampering trade and commerce through the sea route immensely.